Evacuations issued in Southern California as heavy rain brings threat of debris flows in areas scarred by wildfires – CNN
Source: CNN
Southern Californians evacuated their homes for the second time this year, but this time, it’s for heavy rain and debris flows that threaten new destruction in areas still recovering from last month’s devastating wildfires.
The strongest storm to impact parts of California in over a year has arrived and was drenching hundreds of miles of the state Thursday. Coastal areas and valleys in Southern California – including the Los Angeles basin – will see up to 3 inches of rain through Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with mountainous areas facing up to 6 inches.
Heavy rain reached parts of Los Angeles County late in the morning before expanding in scope and intensity through the evening. The heaviest rain subsided by Thursday evening but the danger of mudslides still remains. Both the Eaton and Palisades fire burn scars received rainfall rates of 0.5 inches to 1 inch per hour — a rate that can trigger debris flows.
• Heavy rain drenches California: A powerful, atmospheric river-fueled storm is dumping rain over the state Thursday. Flood alerts stretch from north of the San Francisco Bay Area through coastal portions of Los Angeles County.
• Evacuations in multiple counties: Evacuation warnings or orders are in effect for communities near fire-scarred areas in Southern California most at risk of debris flows and mudslides. Portions of San Bernardino, Orange, Ventura and Los Angeles counties — including Malibu — are under these alerts. Evacuation orders put in place Thursday morning in low-lying areas for the risk of flooding along the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz County were lifted by the afternoon, along with Santa Barbara’s evacuation alerts for the Lake Fire burn area.
• Flood risk extends beyond burn scars: Flood alerts cover a large portion of California Thursday as heavy rain falls. Torrential rainfall could quickly cause flash flooding of roads, especially in urban or poor-drainage areas anywhere from Northern California to Southern California Thursday. Numerous rock and mudslides were reported Thursday by law enforcement in the Malibu area and the Santa Cruz Mountains, south of San Francisco.
Officials have been racing this week to shore up places at risk. Preparations in Los Angeles County include cleaning debris basins, installing concrete barriers and placing sandbags in fire zones to protect storm drains and filter debris. Search-and-rescue teams, deputies and helicopters are on standby to respond if needed.
A stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway between Pacific Palisades and Malibu was fully closed on Thursday until 6 a.m. PT Friday due to mudslide and flood warnings, according to the California Department of Transportation.
“Only Emergency Responders may access PCH until further notice due to a HARD CLOSURE of the route,” the agency said on X.
In Malibu, a Los Angeles Fire Department member sustained minor injuries after his vehicle was swept into the ocean by a large debris flow, LAFD spokesperson Erik Scott said on social media.
The incident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday along Big Rock Road, located off the Pacific Coast Highway. The member managed to escape and was transported to a hospital as a precaution, Scott said.
CNN crews on the ground saw tractors cleaning up the highway while putting in place fresh barricades to keep vehicles out.
“I never dreamt in my whole life I would see such utter complete devastation,” John Carr, a Pacific Palisades resident told CNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL, standing outside his home, where sandbags line the driveway.
Like many of his neighbors, Carr has done what he can — clearing debris from gutters and fortifying his property. Still, with fire-scorched hillsides stripped of vegetation, the danger of mudslides and debris flows loom large. “A lot of the houses without vegetation around them, burned off, could slide down the hill very easily,” he said.
The California Conservation Corps has deployed erosion control measures, such as sock wattles, to trap ash and debris before they contaminate waterways.
“For weeks, we’ve been worried about the possibility of having rain on a fire-impacted area,” Col. Eric Swenson of the Army Corps of Engineers told CNN.
The threat is particularly acute in communities like Altadena and the Palisades, where homes sit precariously on steep slopes. “The biggest concern when you have rain on a fire-impacted area is that the soil can become unstable,” Swenson said. “If you get enough water fast enough, you can cause a separation which causes the slide.”
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